The Western Bulldogs continued their mid-season resurgence at Docklands on Friday night when they demolished Melbourne by 64 points to win their third straight match.The game was evenly-contested early, both sides putting each other under plenty of pressure. The Demons were leading by a point at the 18 minute mark, before Brownlow Medallist Adam Cooney turned the game the Bulldogs’ way with a spectacular soccer-style goal; a contender for goal of the season, as well as being a momentum shifter. Cooney was pivotal throughout the game, turning back the clock to his Brownlow best form for the first time this season, having battled with injury throughout most of this year.The Bulldogs led by 13 points at quarter time, and would kick the first four goals of the second term, on their way to a 24-point half time lead. Early in the third quarter, Ricky Petterd attempted to lift the Demons by flying high and pulling down a screamer of a mark in the forward pocket. But his attempted goal sailed wide, as did all of the Demons’ first four attempted goals for the quarter. Eventually the Demons found their radar, but it was too little too late as the Bulldogs had taken control around the ground, and with five goals to three for the quarter the lead was out to 33 points at the last change.The Bulldogs went on with the job in the final term, locking the hapless Demons completely out of the contest. Six goals to one for the quarter was a reflection of the Bulldog dominance, and the Demons were unable to be competitive around the ground. The final margin blew out to 64 points, tipping the Demons out of the top eight but restoring the Bulldogs back into finals calculations.Western Bulldogs 4.5 8.9 13.10 19.13 (127)Melbourne 2.4 4.9 7.13 8.15 (63)Goals : Bulldogs – D Giansiracusa 4, B Hall 3, R Griffen 2, S Higgins 2, L Dahlhaus 2, C Ward 2, L Gilbee, A Cooney, L Picken, J Grant. Melbourne – R Petterd 2, J Howe 2, J Watts 2, J Trengove, C Sylvia.Best : Bulldogs – D Giansiracusa, D Cross, R Griffen, A Cooney, S Higgins, M Boyd. Melbourne –R Petterd, J Trengove, S Martin, J Watts, N Jones, J McKenzie.Injuries : Bulldogs – E Barlow (dislocated finger). Melbourne – Nil.Substitutions : Bulldogs - E Barlow (dislocated finger) replaced by S Reid in the fourth quarter. Melbourne - J Bennell replaced by S Blease in the third quarter.Reports – Nil. Umpires - Farmer, Rosebury, Mollison.Crowd - 29,516 at Etihad Stadium.

Carlton put on a display of complete domination, running through 28 goals as they demolished the hapless Richmond by 103 points at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.The Blues wasted no time in getting off to a flying start, with Mitch Robinson getting on the scoreboard with the first goal of the game within the first 30 seconds. The Blues made the early front-running, with the Tigers taking ten minutes to get the ball inside their 50 metre line. The Tigers scrambled a few behinds late in the quarter and managed one goal, but it was already evident that they would struggle against a Carlton midfield in which Chris Judd was picking up possessions at will.The Blues led by 22 points at the first change, and went on with the job in the second term, kicking six goals to extend the margin to 43 points at the long break.But it was in the third term that the game became a total blowout. With Judd and Mitch Robinson carving up the midfield, and Eddie Betts and Andrew Walker overcoming anything the Tiger defence could throw at them, the Blues kicked nine goals to two for the quarter, humiliating the Tigers as they exerted complete control over proceedings. By the last change the margin was out to 89 points, and with inevitability the Blues kicked another eight goals in the final term to extend the margin into three figures.

Fremantle celebrated captain Matthew Pavlich’s 250th game in style, with the Dockers recording a 50-point win over Gold Coast at Subiaco on Saturday.A scrappy opening to the game saw 12 minutes pass before a goal was kicked. The lead see-sawed through the quarter, but the Suns were five points ahead at quarter time. But milestone man Pavlich threatened to take control of the game in the second term, kicking the first three goals of the quarter. But the Suns steadied, with Gary Ablett picking up a ton of possession around the ground. Late in the quarter, after a 50 metre bomb by Josh Fraser, the Suns took an unlikely three-point lead into the half time break, and had hopes of pulling off an upset.But the premiership quarter saw the young Suns unable to keep up with the more experienced Dockers, as the home side quickly put the game out of Gold Coast’s reach. A run of six goals to one for the quarter saw the Dockers run to a 27-point lead at the last change. Gary Ablett brought up his third goal in the opening minute of the final quarter to give Gold Coast some hope, but they were unable to manage another goal as the Dockers shut the Gold Coast forwards down, while scoring four goals to extend the final margin to 50 points.The result keeps Fremantle in the top eight. Gold Coast remain on the bottom, the AFL’s newest and youngest side again being competitive for a half but unable to last the distance. In the absence of Aaron Sandilands, Jonathon Griffin stood up and was counted in the ruck, while also picking up 26 possessions around the ground in a best-on-ground performance. Greg Broughton and Matthew Pavlich were also prominent for the Dockers. For the Suns, Gary Ablett picked up 34 possessions and three goals, again showing his leadership and class to keep his side in the contest.Fremantle 3.2 7.2 13.5 17.10 (112)Gold Coast 4.1 7.5 8.8 9.8 (62)Goals : Fremantle – M Pavlich 3, T Mzungu 3, H Ballantyne 3, N Fyfe 2, J Griffin 2, N Lower, M de Boer, M Johnson, J Mellington. Gold Coast – G Ablett 3, T McKenzie 2, D Stanley, J Wilkinson, J Fraser, B Matera.Best : Fremantle – J Griffen, G Broughton, M Pavlich, T Mzungu, N Fyfe, S Hill. Gold Coast -G Ablett, T McKenzie, J Brennan, D Stanley, D Swallow, N Bock.Injuries : Fremantle – Nil. Gold Coast - S Day (knee), N Bock (illness), Z Smith (face), S Iles (foot).Substitutions : Fremantle - R Crowley replaced by J Mellington at three-quarter time. Gold Coast - D Gorringe replaced by B Matera in the second quarter.Reports – Nil. Umpires - McBurney, Wenn, Keating.Crowd - 28,646 at Patersons Stadium.

Essendon again showed themselves to be both enigmatic and giant-killers when they ended Geelong’s unbeaten run with a thrilling 4-point win at Docklands on Saturday night.The Cats started brightly with the first three goals of the game, but the Bombers then found their rhythm and got back into the contest, hitting the front in the final minute of the quarter and leading by six points at quarter time. But it was in the second quarter that the game took an expected twist, as the Bombers out-possessed and out-pressured the Cats, and with four goals to two for the quarter the Bombers extended their lead to 15 points at the long break.The Bombers suffered a scare late in the second term, as Andrew Welsh pulled a hamstring and departed, being subbed out of the game and replaced by Travis Colyer. But it didn’t seem to affect them too much, as the Bombers’ confidence grew with their unlikely half time lead, and they went on with the job in the third quarter.The first three goals of the premiership quarter went Essendon’s way, and the scent of a boilover was in the air as their lead stretched to 33 points at the 12 minute mark. But the Cats weren’t done with yet, and despite some inaccurate finishing they would press hard to kick the next four goals and reduce the gap to just six points before two late steadying goals for the Bombers saw the margin at 17 points at three quarter time.The last quarter was a shootout, a battle of momentum shifts. The Cats came home hard, but the Bombers were able to come up with enough goals to maintain the lead. But it was a close-run thing, with the Cats kicking seven goals during the quarter and getting the game back to within a kick before the marathon 33-minute quarter finally came to an end, with the Bombers hanging on to take four valuable points.The Bombers ended St Kilda’s near season-long run in 2009, and again were the team to bring a long winning streak to an end this time. Coming off a 5-game losing streak, the result is another chapter in Essendon’s tale of unpredictability. To claim the scalp of the unbeaten Cats was quite an achievement for a team that had been struggling for form, and may be the tonic to turn their flagging fortunes around.Essendon 4.3 8.4 13.5 18.7 (115)Geelong 3.3 5.7 9.12 16.15 (111)Goals : Essendon – A Monfries 3, T Colyer 2, S Crameri 2, A Welsh 2, A Davey, D Heppell, D Hille, H Howlett, P Ryder, L Jetta, K Reimers, D Zaharakis, J Melksham. Geelong – S Johnson 3, M Duncan 2, P Chapman 2, A Christensen 2, J Kelly, C Ling, S Motlop, B Ottens, M Stokes, N Vardy, D Wojcinski.Best : Essendon – H Hocking, B Howlett, J Melksham, B Stanton, A Monfries, P Ryder. Geelong – P Chapman, S Johnson, J Kelly, B Ottens, C Enright, M Stokes.Injuries : Essendon – A Welsh (hamstring), T Colyer (ankle). Geelong – M Brown (shoulder).Substitutions : Essendon – A Welsh replaced by T Colyer during the second quarter. Geelong – T Lonergan replaced by T Gillies during the third quarter.Reports – Nil. Umpires - Kennedy, Margetts, Jennings.Crowd - 43,806 at Etihad Stadium.

It wasn’t pretty, probably the least enjoyable match for a neutral watcher of the season so far; but Adelaide finally brought their six-game losing streak to an end with an upset seven point win over Sydney at AAMI Stadium on Saturday night.The conditions, cold wet and windy, were not conducive to attractive footy; and both teams flooded numbers back, making it difficult for the forwards on both sides. The lead fluctuated through the first term, with the Swans leading by six points at the first change. And the second quarter was even lower scoring, a defensive slog in the wet in which each side only kicked one goal, with the Swans seven points to the good at half time.The rain continued after half time, and an early goal to Kurt Tippett got the margin back to one point. Handling the ball was difficult in the wet and greasy conditions, reducing the game to a scramble between two defensive teams. The Swans were unable to score a goal for the quarter, but at the other end Richard Douglas received a free from within kicking range late in the quarter. Douglas’ kick gave the Crows the lead, and they would hold down a 5-point margin at the last change.The last quarter was a war of attrition, a battle of wills as two tired teams continued to battle it out. The Swans regained the lead during the quarter, but the Crows steadied to regain it. A mark in the square by Paul Bevan saw the Swans again reclaim the lead as the clock ticked down. But deep in time on, young Crow Rory Sloane defied the conditions as he took a strong mark in the square; and kept his kead to kick the goal that would result in a 7point win for the Swans.Adelaide 2.1 3.4 5.5 8.8 (57)Sydney 3.1 4.5 4.10 6.14 (50)Goals : Adelaide – K Tippett 3, I Callinan, J Petrenko, R Douglas, N van Berlo, R Sloane. Sydney – L Jetta, A Goodes, C Bird, R O'Keefe, C Bevan, B McGlynn.Best : Adelaide – S Jacobs, J Patrenko, B Vince, S Thompson, B Symes, K Tippett. Sydney –R O’Keefe, J Bolton, J McVeigh, P Bevan, A Goodes, M Seaby.Injuries : Adelaide – Nil. Sydney - N Smith (hamstring soreness) replaced in selected side by A Everitt, C Bolton (elbow hyperextension), C Bird (knee).Substitutions : Adelaide - M Wright replaced by R Tambling at half time. Sydney - C Bird (knee) replaced by A Everitt in the third quarter.Reports – Nil. Umpires - Ritchie, Stevic, McInerney.Crowd - 23,063 at AAMI Stadium.

Brisbane brought their four-game losing streak to an end, and etched another chapter of heartbreak in Port Adelaide’s season from hell, when the Lions came from behind to defeat the Power by 11 points at the Gabba on Sunday afternoon.Jay Schulz was on fire early for Port, kicking two goals in the first five minutes. The Power kicked the first three goals of the game, but the Lions fought back later in the quarter to reduce the margin to one point at quarter time. The second quarter followed a similar trend, evenly contested as the Power threatened to run away with the game before the Lions came back.The Power were eight points clear at half time, and during the third term looked to have established a match-winning lead. Jay Schulz kicked four goals for the quarter, bringing his total for the game to seven; and with Brett Ebert also getting into the goal-scoring action, the Power had five goals for the quarter and a 20-point lead as the game ticked into time-on.But the final minutes of the third term were pivotal, as Rohan Bewick pounced on a loose ball and snapped a goal, and then Jonathan Brown twice marked and goaled from close range; and suddenly the margin was back to one point at the last change.The momentum had swung the way of the home side, but the last quarter would be an arm wrestle. There would not be a goal for 16 minutes, but when Luke Power put it through, the Lions were in front for the first time. Brown’s fourth goal late in the quarter wrapped up the result.A game that Port had led until midway through the final term went wrong, as the Power went from 20-point leaders late in the third to being unable to score another goal for the game. Jay Schulz finished with seven goals, playing a sensational game up forward, but too few of his Power team-mates made a contribution in the final term when the game was there to be won. But it was more positive for the Lions, their losing streak over and finally for the small but vocal home crowd, something to cheer about.Brisbane 4.1 7.3 13.5 15.9 (99)Port Adelaide 4.2 8.5 13.6 13.10 (88)Goals : Brisbane – J Brown 4, L Power 3, A McGrath 2, S Sheldon 2, P Karnezis 2, R Bewick, C Stiller. Port Adelaide – J Schulz 7, B Ebert 2, D Cassisi, R Gray, D Rodan, S Phillips.Best : Brisbane – J Redden, T Rockliff, A McGrath, M Leuenberger, L Power, R Harwood. Port Adelaide – J Schulz, R Gray, H Hartlett, M Lobbe, T Boak, D Cassisi.Injuries : Brisbane – Nil. Port Adelaide – S Phillips (shoulder).Substitutions : Brisbane - B Retzlaff replaced by R Bewick in the third quarter. Port Adelaide - A Moore replaced by K Cornes in the third quarter.Reports – Nil. Umpires - Chamberlain, Hay, Ryan.Crowd - 17,276 at Gabba.

Hawthorn had a chance to join Collingwood in equal second place when the Hawks took on the Magpies at the MCG on Sunday afternoon. But the chance went begging as the Magpies were too good, taking control from the start and recording a comfortable 41-point victory.The Hawks won plenty of the ball early, but inaccurate finishing held them back and the first four scoring shots of the game were Hawthorn behinds. And when the Magpies, having taken ten minutes to get an inside 50, got the ball forward for Leigh Brown to kick the first goal of the game, the Magpies had taken a lead that the run of play indicated was unlikely. But the goal kick-started the Magpies into action, the first of four unanswered goals as Collingwood took a 24-point lead into quarter time.The Hawks finally got on the board early in the second term, but it was a brief moment of satisfaction for the Hawks in what was a frustrating first half. The Magpies were getting the bulk of the ball, frustrating the Hawks as they denied them possession. Four goals to two for the quarter saw the Magpies 39 points ahead at half time.The Hawks had kicked only two goals in the first half, and a comeback looked unlikely. But after the Hawks kicked the first goal of the third term, the Magpies kicked the next four to put the issue beyond doubt as they opened up a 59-point lead. And to make matters worse for the already struggling Hawks, they lost Chance Bateman, Jordan Lisle and Lance Franklin to injury within a disastrous 10-minute burst during the third term.The Magpies led by 45 points at the last change, and although the Hawks outscored them during an inaccurate final quarter, the result of the game had long been beyond dispute. Dane Swan was at his unstoppable best with 33 possessions, while Dale Thomas and Ben Reid racked up 31 apiece. For the Hawks, Luke Hodge worked hard all day and finished with an impressive 40 touches. But the Magpies’ win opens up a two-game gap ahead of third place.Collingwood 4.4 8.7 13.10 15.16 (106)Hawthorn 0.4 2.4 6.6 9.11 (65)Goals : Collingwood – T Cloke 3, L Brown 2, S Wellingham 2, D Jolly 2, L Ball, A Fasolo, B Reid, L Davis, D Thomas, J Blair. Hawthorn – L Breust 2, S Mitchell 2, L Franklin, B Whitecross, P Puopolo, L Shiels, D Hale.Best : Collingwood – D Swan, D Thomas, B Reid, T Cloke, S Pendlebury, L Ball. Hawthorn –L Shiels, S Mitchell, L Hodge, S Savage, P Puopolo, B Whitecross.Injuries : Collingwood – Nil. Hawthorn – C Bateman (ankle), J Lisle (nose/face), L Franklin (ankle).Substitutions : Collingwood - C Dawes replaced by L Rounds during the fourth quarter. Hawthorn - C Bateman (ankle) replaced by C Young during the third quarter.Reports – Nil. Umpires - Donlon, Meredith, Jeffery.Crowd - 83,985 at MCG.

St Kilda made an important step towards getting their season back on track when the Saints recorded a hard-fought 9-point win over North Melbourne at Docklands on Sunday evening.The Saints won the start, with Stephen Milne scoring the first two goals of the game; and midway through the quarter the Saints led by 21 points. But the Kangaroos fought back late in the quarter, kicking the last three goals of the term to reduce the margin to two points at quarter time.Leigh Adams gave the Kangaroos the lead in the first minute of the second term, and they soon found themselves ten points to the good. The Saints needed a spark, and it came with a towering mark from captain Nick Riewoldt, his kick breaking the run of five unanswered goals from the Kangaroos. The momentum swung, and the Saints began to look the dominant force as the game swung further their way the longer the quarter went on. The Saints finished the term with a run of five unanswered goals of their own, and took a 20-point lead into half time.The Saints were looking on top, and an interchange infringement early in the third term gifted them another goal; and the Saints were 32 points clear midway through the premiership quarter. Despite a late fightback by North, St Kilda looked to have the game under control as they led by 19 points at the last change.But the Saints, having run hard all day, had nothing more to give and slowed to a walk in the last term. They were unable to score, and had the Kangaroos played with more attacking flair during the quarter and made more of their opportunities, they could have pinched the game. But, despite getting plenty of the ball during the final quarter, the Kangaroos could only manage 1.4, as the desperate St Kilda defenders hung on for dear life to take the points.After such a disastrous start to 2011, there’s still some work to be done by the Saints if they hope to get their season back on track; but this result was an important step along that road. But it was a disappointment for the Kangaroos. A four-game winning streak is over, and the chance that had presented itself for the Kangaroos to enter the top eight for the first time in 2011 has gone begging.St Kilda 3.4 10.5 12.7 12.7 (79)North Melbourne 3.2 7.3 9.6 10.10 (70)Goals : St Kilda – N Riewoldt 3, S Milne 3, T Lynch 2, D Polo, A Schneider, B Goddard, R Gamble. North Melbourne – L Adams 3, D Petrie 2, C Pedersen, B Harvey, A Swallow, L Hansen, T Goldstein.Best : St Kilda – B Goddard, N Dal Santo, J Gwilt, B McEvoy, L Montagna, J Steven. North Melbourne – T Goldstein, D Wells, B Rawlings, L Adams, A Swallow, B Harvey.Injuries : St Kilda - T Ledger (hamstring) replaced in the selected side by R Clarke. North Melbourne – Nil.Substitutions : St Kilda - T Lynch replaced by R Clarke in the final quarter. North Melbourne - N Grima replaced by L Anthony in the third quarter.Reports – Nil. Umpires - Stewart, Findlay, Ryan.Crowd - 29,693 at Etihad Stadium.